Op-ed: Brexit and the limits of direct democracy: Reform the referendum

In Federalist No. 63, James Madison wrote that the defining principle of American democracy, as compared to Athenian democracy, “lies in the total exclusion of the people in their collective capacity.” This was a warning against the dangers of direct democracy - referendums, voter initiatives and th...
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The Huffington Post

Comments

Bancki1 July 2016

A referendum is bluntly 'the majority decides' but democracy is much more : everyone should participate and only if it's necessary to have a quick and clearcut decision now, then 'the majority decides' is the best prcedure.
A referedum enriches democracy if initaited from below but not if it's only a gamble of the one on top to quell his opponents on the topic.